PMID- 18663553
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20090226
LR  - 20211020
IS  - 1434-9949 (Electronic)
IS  - 0770-3198 (Linking)
VI  - 28
IP  - 1
DP  - 2009 Jan
TI  - The changes in serum chemokines following leflunomide therapy in patients with 
      rheumatoid arthritis.
PG  - 17-21
LID - 10.1007/s10067-008-0974-1 [doi]
AB  - We undertook this study to evaluate the effects of leflunomide, an oral 
      pyrimidine synthesis inhibitor, on the serum chemokine levels in patients with 
      active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were refractory to treatment with 
      methotrexate (MTX) or did not tolerated MTX treatment. RA patients were supposed 
      to receive leflunomide (100 mg/day loading dose for 3 days followed by 20 mg/day 
      orally for the 12 months). Serum concentrations of RANTES (regulated upon 
      activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted), monocyte chemoattractant 
      protein-1 (MCP-1), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were assessed by enzyme-linked 
      immunosorbent assay before and after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment with 
      leflunomide. Three months therapy with leflunomide caused reduction in serum 
      RANTES and MCP-1 (in both cases, p < 0.001) levels. Decrease in the concentration 
      of these chemokines persisted until the end of the study period but was less 
      significant. In the case of IL-8, its serum levels significantly diminished after 
      6 months of therapy with leflunomide (p < 0.01) and remained stable to the end of 
      the study. Changes in serum chemokine levels were accompanied by significant 
      decrease of disease activity score (DAS; p < 0.001). Prior to the first dose of 
      leflunomide, serum concentrations of studied chemokines correlated with marker of 
      RA activity such as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and IL-8 level with DAS. 
      Furthermore, we demonstrated significant correlations between serum levels of 
      RANTES, MCP-1, and IL-8. During study period, such associations were far less or 
      not significant. Leflunomide, beside a clinical improvement, reduce serum 
      chemokines concentrations in RA patients. Leflunomide seems to be an effective 
      treatment for RA, alternative to current therapies.
FAU - Klimiuk, Piotr Adrian
AU  - Klimiuk PA
AD  - Department of Rheumatology and Internal Diseases, Medical University of 
      Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland. klimp@umwb.edu.pl
FAU - Kita, Jacek
AU  - Kita J
FAU - Chwiecko, Justyna
AU  - Chwiecko J
FAU - Sierakowski, Stanislaw
AU  - Sierakowski S
LA  - eng
PT  - Clinical Trial
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20080729
PL  - Germany
TA  - Clin Rheumatol
JT  - Clinical rheumatology
JID - 8211469
RN  - 0 (Antirheumatic Agents)
RN  - 0 (CCL2 protein, human)
RN  - 0 (Chemokine CCL2)
RN  - 0 (Chemokine CCL5)
RN  - 0 (Chemokines)
RN  - 0 (IL6 protein, human)
RN  - 0 (Interleukin-6)
RN  - 0 (Isoxazoles)
RN  - G162GK9U4W (Leflunomide)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Antirheumatic Agents/*therapeutic use
MH  - Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood/*drug therapy/physiopathology
MH  - Chemokine CCL2/blood
MH  - Chemokine CCL5/blood
MH  - Chemokines/*blood
MH  - Health Status
MH  - Humans
MH  - Interleukin-6/blood
MH  - Isoxazoles/*therapeutic use
MH  - Joints/physiopathology
MH  - Leflunomide
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Severity of Illness Index
EDAT- 2008/07/30 09:00
MHDA- 2009/02/27 09:00
CRDT- 2008/07/30 09:00
PHST- 2008/03/27 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2008/07/07 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2008/07/03 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2008/07/30 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2009/02/27 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2008/07/30 09:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1007/s10067-008-0974-1 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Clin Rheumatol. 2009 Jan;28(1):17-21. doi: 10.1007/s10067-008-0974-1. Epub 2008 
      Jul 29.